Hackensack – Should the pending plan to merge the county police under the auspices of the sheriff's offices triumph over a pending lawsuit, incumbent Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino will be the architect of the transition, voters said Tuesday.

With 99 percent of districts reporting, the Emerson Republican defeated Democratic challenger James Mordaga by 11 percentage points, according to unofficial polling results.

"I think the taxpayers of this county realized the efforts I've made to save them money," Saudino said from his victory party Tuesday night. "I lived up to my campaign promise. I do believe my position on the police merger is also something people of this county wanted and therefore, I received their support."

Saudino also financially outmuscled his challenger, a former public safety director of Bergen County, spending nearly $100,000 in his bid for re-election. In billboards and newspaper ads, Saudino said his department has saved county taxpayers over $5 million in recent years.

He has supported a controversial plan to merge the county police under his department, which he says would save between $90 million and $200 million in attrition.